Unknown Reason for Arrest, Refusal to Make Call, Police Inability to Afford Inhaler: Felicity Nelson bares it all

After spending seventeen days in police custody, Felicity Nelson, one of the protesters from the #ReOccupyJulorbiHouse and #StopGalamseyNow movements, has shared her experience with the Ghana Police Service, alleging unfair treatment during her two-week detention.

According to her, she was unaware of the reason for her arrest until she arrived at the police station and saw a statement from an investigator indicating that she was arrested for unlawful acts.

“I just want to start with the fact that when I was taken by the police, they didn’t tell me if I was under arrest. I was actually on Facebook Live when they grabbed me, wrestled my phone out of my hand, and didn’t say I was under arrest for anything until I got to the railway police station. It was only then that I saw the statement and realized I was arrested for illegal assembly.”

In an interview with Accra-based media outlet JoyNews on October 12, 2024, following her release, Ms. Nelson claimed that she was prohibited from making a call or contacting any family members when she was taken to the cells.

She mentioned that the police held her phone for ten days without allowing her access to it.

Felicity also added that the police refused her request to contact a family member to bring her inhaler.

She further disclosed instances where she suffered from asthma attacks due to her condition.

She said that while in the cells, she had an attack and, when taken to the hospital, the police couldn't afford to pay for an inhaler, which cost GH¢140.

She explained that the police couldn't pay for the inhaler until there was a back-and-forth between the doctor and the police, which eventually led to her undergoing nebulisation treatment, a more affordable option.

She narrated that “My rights, such as making a call or contacting my family, were not respected at the time. When I was moved to the Cantonments Police Station when I got there, I said I needed to call my family. From the time my phone was taken when I was arrested - the police had my phone for about 10 days and I had not seen my phone. So, I got to the police station and said I needed to call my family - I’m asthmatic, and I needed to let them know so they could bring my inhaler, they told me no, your phone is not here so you can’t make a phone call.”

“So, I went into the cell. In the night, I actually had an asthma attack and I was taken to the police hospital. When we got to the police hospital, they said I needed an inhaler and it was 140 cedis. The policeman who took me to the police hospital did not have 140 cedis, they said they couldn’t afford to buy the inhaler.

“There was a lot of back and forth between them and the doctor. I have had family members who have died from asthma attacks. They had to do something called nebulisation, that was 75 cedis so that they could afford,” she said.

She noted that during this time, her family discovered that she was being held at the Cantonments Police Station and visited three times to drop off her inhaler. However, the police falsely claimed she was not there.

“While all of that was happening, my family had found out I was at Cantonments and had been there three times. My sister had been to the Cantonments police station three times, and on the third time, she just could just leave my inhaler, they told her I wasn’t there. The police told her I wasn’t there,” she disclosed.

Watch the video below:

🚨ICYMI🇬🇭✊🏾🗣️: Felicity Nelson, a #ReOccupyJulorbiHouse #StopGalamseyNow protester, recounts a chilling experience from her 17 days in remand custody after being unlawfully arrested.

She had an asthma attack, but the police did not have 140 GHS to purchase an inhaler for her… https://t.co/czwIxKzIHB pic.twitter.com/qhdnBOPxXy

— Ölele | DTS👨🏾‍🍳🇬🇭 (@OleleSalvador) October 12, 2024